The Real Hunt
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The Sunday roast couldn't have gone better in Ginny's eyes. Even though most of the wizards were hunting with Draco, she had the Weasley family's monthly get together. For years Molly held it at the Borrow, but six months ago Ginny and her sisters-in-law had convinced the Weasley matriarch to allow them to alternate homes. Cooking for the large family was no problem as Molly and Arthur came around noon. He watched the children while Molly helped cook. Ginny enjoyed cooking with her mother and it was one of the few times she cooked a meal at home. She assigned the house elves cleaning duties to keep them happy and out of the way while she and her mother spent a couple of hours cooking roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast lamb with mint sauce, roast potatoes, mashed rutabaga, broccoli, sliced boiled carrot and peas and Banana Bread and Butter Pudding.
It was a lovely afternoon, so the roast was served on the patio at three o'clock. The nine children were very well-behaved. Ginny's boys frowned when served broccoli, but ate the two small pieces knowing it was the only way to get pudding. Molly happily helped both Leo and Preston with their meal. Both of the children's mothers had offered to help but Molly smiled and reminded each that she was the mother of twins. The stout witch had no problem helping both toddlers while enjoying her own meal. Hermione held her tongue when the elves served the meal but once completed she tried to help them cleanup. After seeing how distressed the creatures became, the brushy-haired witch retreated to the small circular table where Ginny, Luna, Fleur and Marietta sat peacefully enjoying a cup of tea and conversation while watching the older children play on the swing set.
Molly had taken baby Sophie into the parlor for a nap, while Ron and Arthur played wizard's chess and Percy kept an eye on Preston, Leo and Serpens. The rest of the younger children were playing in the vast toddler playground Lucius had installed for Leo's first birthday. It was enclosed with a white picket fence and equipped with six different play areas connected by crawling tunnels. A bouncer designed to look like a large bed was surrounded by protective soft walls and adjacent to it was a three foot castle containing a room to play in and a tower to climb. A wobbly bridge connected the first tower to a second replete with a slide down a dragon's back. The third play structure was a 'see through' room housing a couple of oversized golden snitches to chase and the fourth held large sand and water tables with components to build boats to sail down the long rivers. A swing set with toy Aethonon, Phoenix and Griffin gliders was next, gliders low and easy enough for Leo to manage and the last area contained a collection of soft statues of magical beasts designed for the children to climb on. A duplicate of this playground stood outside the window of Lucius' study at Malfoy Manor. Ginny couldn't help but smile each time she saw it. Who would have believed that a ginger haired child would have Lucius Malfoy wrapped around his fingers?
"You have only Leo tomorrow, Ginny?" Fleur asked.
"I may not even have Leo," she answered "Narcissa has a special day planned for Cam and Serpens is going over to the Crabbe's to play. Lucius takes Thuban to the office every Monday and if Lucius makes the mistake of saying hello to all the boys, he won't leave without Leo."
"Won't Leo be a problem at the office?" Marietta asked.
"You would think so but Lucius swears he isn't. No matter what that little wizard does it doesn't seem to bother his grandfather. He's the only one besides Narcissa allowed in Lucius' study when he's working."
"It has to be distracting to have the toddler there," Marietta insisted. "They must not be very busy at Malfoy International if Lucius can spend the day babysitting his grandsons with Draco out for the week."
Ginny did her best not to react. Marietta was a sneak, even worse than Percy, always trying to get information out of her or her boys about the goings on at the Malfoy family business. She worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the Office of Wizarding Business Regulation and was a thorn in the twins' sides as well.
Ginny's response to Marietta's thinly disguised snooping was to turn to Fleur and ask, "Are you free tomorrow too?"
"Yes. The children are spending the day with friends at the Muggle Zoo. I thought a shopping trip would be nice. They received the new…"
"Mum. Mum. Mum," Thuban interrupted Fleur, earning a stern gaze from his mother.
"Thuban, manners young man. What do you say to your Aunt?"
"Sorry," he stated and without waiting spoke again, "Mum, may we go swimming?"
Ginny took a deep breath as Narcissa's voice went through her head and out her mouth. Channeling her mother-in-law, she said, "I believe you can do better than that."
"I'm sorry, Aunt Fleur. It was impolite for me to speak over you. Please forgive me," he waited for her to nod her acceptance before continuing. He smiled at each witch bowing his head in turn, "Pardon my interruption, ladies. I need a moment of my mother's time." The women smiled at him and he turned to Ginny, "Mum, may we go swimming?"
"Not today, sweetheart."
"May Gabe, Sirius, Cam and I go to the play yard by the guesthouse?" he asked. "We'll be good."
"Thuban, we discussed this earlier. We're going to stay by the main house. You have plenty of toys to play with here. Why don't you go see whom can catch the Snitch quickest."
The seven year old frowned, "That's a baby's game, Mum. They're so easy to catch." He smiled, "May we play Quidditch with the set Uncle Ron got me? Gabe brought his broom and we have an extra for Sirius."
Ginny couldn't help but roll her eyes. Yes, the bludgers and bats were made of magical materials so they wouldn't injure the boys. But any game of Quidditch involved trying to knock each other off the brooms and even a friendly flight around the backyard had become a bumping match lately. Sirius had proven to be as good a flier as Harry, but Thuban and Cam tended to team up against others and the last thing she wanted was even a minor injury. They would have to be watched closely and right now she wanted time with her friends. So she answered Thuban in the negative, "Not right now, son. When Grandpa and Uncle Ron finish their chess game…"
"They won't finish until dark. Why can't we just play or swim?"
"Thuban, your father has discussed this with you many times. For safety you need to be watched," she reminded him.
"We're big enough. I don't see why we have to be watched."
Ginny looked sternly at him and said, "I said no, Thuban."
"Why don't you watch us then, that's your job isn't it?" the little wizard huffed.
"That's it!" Ginny took Thuban by the arm. "I'll be back shortly, ladies." She led the boy through the parlor and to the stairs. "I've had enough of your cheek. You will spend the next thirty minutes in your room for interrupting my conversations and questioning me."
Thuban walked up the stairs slowly and when he thought Ginny had gone, hissed, "I wouldn't be bothering you if you'd let me go hunting with Dad."
"What was that young man?" the incensed witch snarled as she reappeared at the bottom of the stairs.
Thuban paused and replied, "It was nothing."
"Your behavior today, Thuban, only proves I that was correct in not letting you accompany your father. Questioning an adult's decision during a hunt is dangerous."
The boy couldn't stop from making an angry face at the floor. It's not the same, he thought but did not say.
"You're attitude better improve before you come back down," his mother ordered. "I won't hesitate to take my wand to your bottom if it doesn't."
Thuban's demeanor changed immediately. It wasn't a spanking from Ginny that worried him but his Dad's finding out that she spanked him. Misbehaving to that degree when Dad was gone was a mistake you only made once, and maybe never if you were a younger sibling and smart enough to learn from your brother's mistakes. Thuban really did try his best to behave. He knew the rules: when sent to your chambers you were to lie quietly on your bed or sit quietly in a chair. Right now, that was asking a lot from the seven year old boy who only an hour ago had had to sit still for a ninety minute roast.
Luckily he was indeed sitting in a chair when Ginny popped her head in to check on him. When she left, he placed his extendable ear under his door. It wasn't normal for his mum to check on him and he had to know if there was a reason why she had.
"I'm sure I have something in Leo's room that will fit Preston. He's not much bigger," Thuban heard Ginny say.
"It was so unlike Brittany to spray whipped cream and sundae sauce around!" Marietta complained.
"I'm sure it was an accident. The children had a wonderful time creating their own sundaes, although it can get messy. Serpens and Leo would be covered head to toe with cream, syrup, nuts and sprinkles if I didn't watch them closely."
"Well yes, your boys are a little rambunctious," Marietta snorted.
Ginny couldn't help but giggle, "My sons are normal, active young boys," she paused, "here we are."
Thuban growled softly. His mum wasn't playing fair today. It was one thing to send him to his room but quite another to let everyone make sundaes while he was being punished. Life wasn't fair. Yes, he had been interrupting his mother all day and he wouldn't take no for an answer and he had given her a little cheek. But a timeout and missing ice cream…
He pulled the extendable ear back into the room after hearing footsteps in the hallway. "I'll leave you to clean him up, Marietta. Simply walk straight down this hallway, down the stairs, and down the hallway on the main floor to get back to the patio."
Thuban waited a few minutes before deciding to see what his aunt was up to. He couldn't understand why his mum had left this witch alone in the house. His dad would definitely have a fit if he found out. Thuban went to his parents' sitting room and placed the extendable ear under the nursery door. Not hearing anything he put it under their bedchamber door next, a spankable offence he risked under these circumstances.
"Sit here, baby, Mummy needs to have a look around. I know that Death Eater has some papers about his potions' business around here somewhere," Marietta whispered to her baby.
Preston babbled in response as his mother voiced her suspicions. "Draco Malfoy may not have had the Dark Mark on his arm, but he was and always will be a Death Eater."
Thuban pondered the things about the last war as he listened to his aunt scramble around searching his parents' bedroom. He knew that a crazy Dark Wizard had started the war and that his dad killed the bad man's snake and killing the snake had been very, very important. He knew that his Grandfather and Uncle Greg had dark marks on their arms. Were those the Dark Mark his aunt was referring to and did having one have anything to do with the bad Dark Wizard? And what were Death Eaters? It sounded bad. Thuban was certain that his aunt was wrong, his dad wasn't one of a group of bad wizards.
He jumped behind the settee just before the door opened and quickly entered his father's closest to get Draco's invisibility cloak (another spankable offence.) Concealing himself under it, he followed his aunt and wasn't surprised to find her outside his father's study. She was running her wand around the door checking for wards and a way to get inside. The grandfather clock in the main foyer chimed six alerting Thuban to the fact that his punishment had ended so he went around the corner, placed the cloak in a trunk and returned to his aunt.
A devilish grin crossed Thuban's face as he asked, "Would you like to get inside? It's my father's study."
Marietta stared at the boy for a minute.
"He has candy in his top right desk drawer. If you get me same Chocoballs and Drooble's, I'll let you in," the little wizard said feigning interest in the candy. "J'aime mon épouse," he said before his aunt replied and the door opened. Thuban took hold of his cousin's hand so the toddler wouldn't follow his mother.
Marietta grinned as she entered the room thinking her nephew wasn't as bright as everyone thought. She would have brought him all the gum and Chocoballs he could ever eat for entry into this one room. While she was deciding what to look at first, a chair materialized behind her, invisible arms pulled her into it and chains appeared locking her in place. Bells rang loudly throughout the house as Thuban laughed from the doorway.
"This is why you didn't get the candy yourself," Marietta hissed.
"Nope. When I enter without my mother or father, the candy drawer locks and an owl informing my father of my entry is sent," the boy gleefully informed her.
The sounds of his mother, her parents and brother Percy running to the room were growing louder when an Apparition pop announced the arrival of the first wizard. Lucius Malfoy stared at the witch confined to the chair not trying to contain his expression of abhorrence for the woman. "Why are you here?" He demanded of her, his booming voice evoking laughter from Thuban.
Marietta trembled when confronted by Lucius Malfoy, a very powerful wizard whom no one dared to take on without massive backup. "The boy…, the boy tricked me," she sputtered.
"Did not!" Thuban interjected, explaining to Lucius, "I caught her trying to break into Dad's study."
"I was looking for a lavatory. He told me there was one in here," Marietta said just as Ginny and the others arrived on the scene.
Never before having heard an adult lie, Thuban gaped at his aunt. The little wizard was shocked mute for a moment.
"He's been a bad boy all day, Grandfather," Serpens, jealous that Thuban was going to the office with Grandfather the next day, yelled. The naughty little brother hoped that by tattling on Thuban he'd get to go to the offices in his place.
"Don't tattle, Serpens," Cam admonished. "Besides, Thuban hasn't been bad all day. He only talked back to Mummy a couple of times."
Thuban elbowed Cam and hissed, "You're not helping me."
Lucius waved his wand and released Marietta from her bonds. "If there was been a mistake," he whispered to the witch before finishing louder with, "I apologize." He walked up to the group of Weasleys and placed his hand on Thuban's shoulder. "Ginevra, I would like a word with Thuban if you don't mind."
Ginny's mind was racing and her blood boiling. It didn't make sense that Marietta would be in this part of Black Hall. The Lavatory story didn't seem true; Marietta had been in Leo's room cleaning Preston up in the bathroom so why would she need to find one downstairs? Ginny looked at her family and, for the sake of keeping the peace, decided to let Lucius speak with the Thuban alone. She would wait till after everyone had gone to discuss this matter with the boy herself. "Certainly you may speak with him, Lucius, but I will decide what his punishment is to be."
"Of course," Lucius replied. He bowed his head to his daughter-in-law and Disapparated with the boy.
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"I didn't trick her!" Thuban exclaimed then smirked and put his thumb and forefinger a small distance apart. "Well… a tiny bit." The Malfoy heir decided to tell his grandfather the whole story, well most of the whole story. Lucius had Apparated them to his favorite talking spot, so Thuban knew he wasn't in real trouble. His grandfather was after information and would be more than willing to listen to him carefully.
"Let us sit down, Thuban" Lucius said as he flicked his wand and a blanket appeared on the ground.
The boy lovingly leaned against his grandfather and began his tale. "Aunt Marietta went into Mum and Dad's chambers without asking. I think she was looking for files about our potions business. She is nutters cause she told Preston that Daddy is a Death Eater even though he doesn't have a Dark Mark."
Lucius tried his best not to react, but still stiffened at the words. Thuban touched his grandfather's left arm where he knew the skull and snake tattoo resided and told him, "It's OK, Grandfather. If you have one, it's alright. I still love you. Everyone makes mistakes. You'll explain it to me when I'm older, right?"
Lucius hugged his grandson and replied gratefully, "I believe that will be very soon, Thuban."
The little wizard nodded. "Well, because of the way she was acting, I decided to follow her downstairs. She tried for a long time to get into Dad's study. I didn't know what to do at first," he paused giving Lucius a thoughtful look and then continued, "so I decided maybe it was best to let her inside. I knew the chair would trap her but I thought a guard would come, not you. I told her it was Dad's study. I made myself very clear. The only trick I played was lying about wanting the candy out of his desk. She thought I was dumb enough to exchange a few sickles worth of sweets for access into my father's personal and business files."
"How did you know your aunt was in your parents chambers?"
"I heard them walk by my room. Then I heard Mum leave but not Aunt Marietta. I knew Dad wouldn't want her alone in the house so I went over there."
"Surely your aunt didn't know you were watching her," Lucius raised a questioning eyebrow at the boy.
"I thought it would be best to spy on her," Thuban confessed.
"You could have merely let your presence be known to her. Then she wouldn't have gone through your parents' chambers," Lucius advised.
"I couldn't do that. Mum had sent me to my room," Thuban replied. "She would have told Mum and then Mum would have sat in my room watching me and giving Aunt Marietta freedom to snoop throughout the house."
"You could have stated your concern to your mother as she was leaving."
"Then she'd know I was eavesdropping," the boy covered his mouth not having meant to reveal that little piece of information.
Lucius smirked, "I understand now."
"I wasn't doing it to be bad, Grandfather. I promise. I like all of Mum's family but Uncle Percy and Aunt Marietta. I don't trust them. They're," the boy looked up at the sky thinking and then beamed, "power hungry fools. That's what Grandpa calls them."
The Malfoy patriarch chuckled. He'd had a few run-ins with Percy and Marietta at the Ministry and fully agreed with Arthur's opinion of the couple. "Be that as it may, Thuban, it would have been best to make your presence known or informed your mother of your concerns."
"I didn't think of that, I am only seven, you know," the little wizard pleaded in a remorseful tone while giving his grandfather a repentant gaze. In recent months, Thuban had taken to reminding everyone of his young age when he found himself in trouble.
Lucius responded by gathering the boy onto his lap and hugging him. "A very bright seven-year-old, Thuban. Very bright." He paused, "It is best to let adults handle other adults. And never reveal a password. What would you have done if the chair didn't contain her?"
"I would have had a house elf get Mum or you."
Lucius pinched his nose to control his frustration. "You should have done that in the first place." The older wizard held the boy close for a couple of minutes. Simply feeling the little heart beat so close to his gave Lucius the patience to continue on to the next task, gently, "Now, I'd like to hear about your behavior earlier in the day."
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Thuban skipped merrily out onto the patio and stood quietly next to Ginny waiting for a break in the conversation, at which point he gave his mother a hug and a kiss. "I'm sorry, Mum," he said crossing his heart. "I promise to be on my best behavior until Dad comes home. Grandfather wants you to floo him after everyone leaves. He's sealed up Dad's study so no one can get in until Dad's back." He turned to Marietta, "I'm sorry for letting you into my Dad's study."
He hopped playfully over to Molly. The witch sat knitting on the gliding bench watching her grandchildren play. Thuban climbed up next to her and leaned against her, "I'm sorry, Grandma. I almost forgot to cuddle with you today."
She set her knitting aside. Molly didn't trust Lucius Malfoy and she had been upset with Ginny for letting the wizard take Thuban. She thought he was too strict with her grandsons. In her opinion, the boy only needed a good talking to. Boys would be boys after all and were not servants to be ordered around. Molly secretly scanned Thuban with her wand to make sure that he hadn't been injured. She had decided to confront Lucius if he had spanked the boy. The Malfoys did way too much spanking in her opinion. Oh, Molly believed that sometimes a good spanking was needed, but rarely.
Happily, she found that Thuban hadn't been touched. She hugged him and whispered, "Did you have a nice chat with your grandfather?"
"Yah. We sat by the lake at the Manor. He wanted to know why I let Aunt Marietta into my dad's study. He didn't punish me or anything, we just talked. It helped me see how my behavior, not Mum, was the reason I had a bad day." Thuban hugged Molly tightly, "I wish you, Grandpa, Grandfather and Grandmother liked each other. It's sad when people you love don't like each other. I love all of you, you know that right?"
Molly kissed the boy's forehead, "I know you do, dear. I love you, too. We're all trying to get along for you and your brothers."
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Draco walked around the campfire and handed each man an Imperial stout beer. A bottle of the very expensive and rare beer was the perfect topper to a very bountiful hunt. The opaque black liquid exhibited enormously powerful malt flavours, hints of dark fruits, and was quite rich, resembling a chocolate dessert. The wizards savored the drink not only because of Draco's limited supply but because if it's high alcohol content. One could quickly get pissed on the beverage.
Draco was surprised at their success that day. Thinking it would take all three days of their planned hunt to bag their nogtails, the group had gotten their quota on the first day out. They worked well as a team and had managed to corner the first beast almost immediately. Bill easily cast the spell that brought it down and Fred's outstanding aim landed the second nogtail only hours later. The Weasley twins were sharp with their wands, each had deadly aim and they were very serious hunters.
"Just how many people can we fit on your beach house grounds, Malfoy?" George inquired. "If we get two more nogtails, there'll be enough food for a couple hundred."
"We'll set off a collection of our industrial fireworks," added his twin.
"Bring a box of the kid friendly ones for every child."
"It's been ages"
"since we had a stupendous summer party."
"Brilliant idea," Charlie replied. "Your place, Malfoy, or should we look for a beach to rent?"
Draco gave his in-laws a perplexed look, "The beach house grounds are large enough. It's the time to put a party of that size together that's the problem. Ginny…"
"We'll handle all the arrangements," Charlie offered.
The blond chuckled, "Just how well do you know your sister? Ginevra won't keep her nose out of it, if it's at the beach house," he took a drink of his beer, "and she'll be upset if I tell you No."
"Aren't you in a pickle," Bill muttered.
"I'll run it by her," Draco nodded and shrugged. "She may like having a large, causal party."
"We'll work on her too," Fred retorted.
"She can't say no"
"to our best pleading frown."
The twins displayed their famous pout, causing Draco to fold over with laughter. "Merlin, I've wondered for years who Thuban inherited that from. I think you're out of luck, it doesn't work for him."
"That's because"
" there's only one of him"
"We got her to do our books"
"even though she knew it would upset you." The cheeky twins smiled at the blond wizard before turning to face each other.
"We should keep her on. She's excellent at keeping us stocked with potion ingredients."
Draco hissed at them, "My wife has more important things to do with her time."
"Has she been neglecting you, Drakey?" Fred sighed sickingly sweet.
Draco's wand hand twitched and he shifted in his seat. George patted his back. "Take it easy, Malfoy. Ginny's already told us she wouldn't be helping after the middle of this month." He took a bottle of Ogden's best firewhiskey out of his pack and transfigured seven small stones into shot glasses. He opened the new bottle, poured a glass and offered it to Draco.
"No thanks," the blond politely replied.
"Come on, Malfoy it's a new bottle. You just saw me open it."
Draco shook his head. Fred took the glass and downed it. "More for us, then." George poured four glasses. After each Weasley brother took a shot, Greg and Vincent took the next offered glass.
"Blimey, put a lust potion in a bloke's food once and he stops trusting you," George announced causing the two Slytherins to spit the liquid out. It landed in the fire causing the flames to flow along the liquor stream.
Charlie chuckled, "That was interesting."
George filled their glasses again. "Don't worry. We promised Ginny we'd play nice. Besides she won't let us have our party at the beach house if we mistreat you," he said handing a glass to Draco.
The Slytherins drank their first shot of whiskey and after a couple of minutes decided it was safe to have another. They enjoyed the peace of the night and the soft crackling of the fire for some time before Greg placed his feet on a log and sighed, "This is the best part of a hunt. Blimey, it's nice to enjoy a fire without having to tell someone to back away or stop throwing things in it."
"Just place a ward around it," Charlie offered.
The fathers chuckled and Bill patted his brother's back, "It's not that easy. You'll see next year when Gabe and Thuban join us."
"No, he'll see at the summer party. There will be lots of small fires and tons of little wizards and witches trying to get to them," Vincent stated. "Children are unpredictable."
As if on cue a soft little girl's voice came from inside Crabbe's robe. He removed the two-way mirror from his pocket and saw the sweet face of his five year old daughter. "Patty sweetie, is something wrong?"
"Hi, Daddy," the little witch excitedly replied. "Everything's fine."
"Where's Mummy?"
"She's giving the boys a bath."
"Oh, you understand that you're only to use the mirror for emergencies?"
The little witch nodded and seriously glared at her father. "This is an emergency. I just remembered, I forgot to tell you, I love you, before you left." She raised her voice, "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, sweetheart," he replied and the girl disappeared from the mirror.
Bill grinned at the Slytherin, "Unpredictable but damn cute."
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Marietta lay Preston down in his crib. The redheaded toddler picked up his toy dragon and threw it at his mother. "No… Uppy…," he yelled.
The witch frowned and placed the dragon on the dresser, "Preston, sweetie, it's time for bed."
"No!" he screamed.
Marietta turned off the light and closed the door leaving the child screaming and crying. She walked down the stairs and into the family room where Percy sat reading the Daily Prophet and joined him on the sofa.
"I despise the way he acts after coming back from outings with your family."
Percy put down the paper, "It's his age, not my family per se. He refuses to go to sleep after any outing. If you would rock him…"
"I'm not going to get into that. Once you start rocking them to sleep you have to continue," Marietta stated.
Percy raised a brow and queried, "So it's better to let him scream himself to sleep?" He looked at the clock and continued, "If he's not calm in five minutes, I'm going up."
"Please yourself!" she huffed before removing a number of parchments for her robe pocket.
"So, you were snooping around Ginny's house?" Percy asked.
"Like you haven't done the same."
"Of course I have, but to blame Thuban, that was…"
She rolled her eyes. "Shut it, Percy. You would have done the same. We need some proof of Draco's wrong doing before we can get access to Malfoy International's files. Everyone knows that he and Lucius are still into Dark magic. Once my department gets into their offices, I'm sure you'll find the evidence we need to get you into Malfoy Manor."
"I've wanted to see what old Lucius has in that secret chamber under his drawing room floor ever since Ron let that slip a couple of years ago," Percy replied.
Marietta nearly jumped off of the sofa, "Here it is!" she exclaimed, "fanged geranium and hellebore were delivered to Black Hall last week and then forwarded to Diagon Alley. It doesn't say where in Diagon Alley but we can safely assume it was Malfoy International. Both items are on the restricted list and they don't have the needed Ministry seals to use them."
Percy kissed her cheek, "Congratulations, that information will get you access to all the files for their potions company."
"My timing is perfect too. That's Draco's project and Lucius is likely taking both Leo and Thuban to his office tomorrow. He won't be able to put up much of a fight with both boys under foot."
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Thuban sat at the top of the main staircase in Black Hall. His three younger brothers listened to him intently as he instructed them. "You put your bottom on the edge of the stair, keep your legs straight and then push real hard. Greg showed me and it's really fun. We can race down, except for Leo. The wards won't let him down without an adult."
"Foo?" the toddler sadly eyed his eldest brother.
"We'll be right back up. You can watch."
"Ma… mee." Leo pointed down the hall.
"I'll give you a Licorice Wand if you sit down and don't tell Mum."
The toddler nodded and sat down a couple feet from the stairs. The other two boys sat next to Thuban. "On your mark, get set, GO!" the eldest boy shouted. The boys giggled as their bottoms slid from step to step as they raced down the stairs. They were halfway down when the doorbell rang and a house elf showed Lucius and Narcissa in. The couple caught sight of the boys as they slid over the last few steps. Their laughter had alerted Ginny and she was standing at the top of the stairs holding Leo, unable to suppress a grin at their antics. Her sons brought back so many joyful memories of her childhood at the Burrow where, with six brothers, there was always a noisy activity going on somewhere.
Thuban et al glanced from the witches to the wizard wondering which would be the first to scold them. Thuban was sure he saw all three of the adults grin before placing stern looks on their faces. Lucius didn't disappoint them, scolding half-heartedly, "Stairs are for walking down, boys," unable muster anything sterner than that.
"Gamfa…, Gamfa…," Leo yelled as Ginny carried him down the stairs.
Lucius couldn't contain himself and hurried up the stairs to take the little wizard into his arms and collect his hug and kiss. He walked slowly down the stairs next to Ginny, "I understand that Serpens is due at the Crabbe home at 10:00 this morning."
"Yes, Padma wanted Kenny to have someone to play with and distract him this morning. Victor is leaving for camp and Vincent's mother is taking Patty shopping."
"They are sending him this week? Mary, Victoria and I always sent the boys at the same time," Narcissa remarked.
"The Crabbes decided to send Victor for two weeks and Greg's doing the same with Greggy. So they'll both still be there when Thuban arrives," Ginny explained.
"It wouldn't have hurt Thuban to go for two weeks too," Lucius muttered.
Ginny grinned, "I'm sure he would be fine but I'm not sure about me."
Narcissa put her arm around the younger witch and started for the dining room, confiding, "I still remember the first year Lucius forced me to send Draco to summer camp. It was the worst week of my life."
Lucius cleared his throat and both witches turned toward him. With Leo on his hip and holding Thuban's hand, he said, "If it is alright with you, Ginevra, I'm willing to take Leo with me to the office, leaving you free for the day."
"That would be fine, Lucius, but they haven't had breakfast yet."
"I was planning a business breakfast at the office." Thuban smiled at his grandfather. He wasn't happy that Leo was coming along, but breakfast meetings were the best. They got to eat in the big conference room while discussing his work assignment for the day. He knew that when he entered the room he would find four kinds of scones, three kinds of jam, a chocolate roll and a cup of chocolate topped with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. A waiter would then appear and he would be allowed to order any food he wanted. Crepes filled with strawberries were his favorite. Grandfather only had a business breakfast with him once or twice a year. He glanced hopefully at his mother who nodded her approval. Lucius activated the portkey and the group of three was off.
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After dropping Serpens off with Padma, Ginny met Fleur at Gringotts. Instead of changing their galleons into Muggle currency, they took Muggle debit cards with them. Neither liked carrying large amounts of cash in the Muggle world. The goblin attending Ginny questioned the amount she made available on her card because it was double what she normally took. After reminding him that she had total access to all of Draco's accounts and that the smaller Westchester wizarding bank would be happy to take over the Malfoy vaults, he retreated properly chastised.
Fleur's taste in clothing was fantastic. She had taken a large step down the social ladder to marry Bill, and it had been only after his promotion to Director of Business Loans that she could indulge herself in fancy clothing. Her budget was not anywhere near the enormously wealthy Malfoy's but she could afford to purchase many nice things.
They had decided to shop in the Muggle London for a number of reasons. They both enjoyed dressing their children in the latest styles and after the war most children were wearing primarily Muggle clothing. The Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade shops were slow in getting them in whereas both French Connection and Harrods had just received the latest fashions for young boys. It was much easier to shop for the boys without them being present and Ginny had a list of clothing that Thuban would need for his week at camp. Narcissa had informed the young mother that all well-to-do wizards went to camp with new things.
But the main purpose of their shopping trip was to outfit themselves for their upcoming anniversary trips: a visit to Rigby & Peller was in order. Draco had taken Ginny there a year ago but sadly many of the items she gotten then didn't fit anymore. So a bit after lunch, the Malfoy limosine stopped in front of the Hans Road shop, its trunk already full of packages.
The two young mothers were escorted to a private room where each was fitted. They scanned through the books and selected a number of sexy pieces of lingerie, bras, knickers, and swim suits, to be brought back to them. Ginny put on a swimsuit then spun back and forth in the full mirrors frowning all the time.
"Ginevra, you like lovely," Fleur smiled at her.
The redhead shook her head in the negative replying, "There's no need to lie, Fleur, I have eyes. The good thing about being pregnant or nursing is at least during those times I have breasts." She paused then put her hands on her hips and continued, "The bad thing is I get a bigger arse after each baby."
She walked over to a shelf and removed a couple of breast enhancers and placed the largest into the suit top evoking laughter from both Fleur and herself at her now triple D cup size. She then tried on different sizes until she found one she liked.
"See, doesn't a nice 'C' cup look good on me?" Ginny puffed.
Fleur frowned, "You look wonderful as a 'B'."
Ginny sighed, "When I'm a 'C' my behind doesn't look so large." She nodded into the mirror, "I think I should get an enlargement charm."
"Draco will…"
"He'll love them."
"Ginevra, you should think about it for a time," Fleur advised.
The redhead placed the breast enhancers with her other items to be purchased. "You're right, I'll try them out first." She rubbed her bottom, "I need to do something about this too. The Muggles have a way of sucking out the fat."
Fleur disagreed loudly.
Ginny spun, "What?"
"If you want to get rid of centimeters around your bottom, then start coming to the gym with me twice a week."
The redhead smiled at her sister-in-law, "I didn't know you went to a gym. That sounds nice, a couple of hours away from the boys and an adult to talk with."
"I'm surprised Goyle never told you. We see each other there all the time. I believe he goes during his lunch break."
"Greg doesn't talk much… to me anyway. Draco was closer to him before our marriage and after Blaise became Draco's closest friend, Goyle likely blames me for that." She looked at her watch, "We need to be getting back. Lucius never puts Leo down for his afternoon nap. If I don't collect him by three, I'll have a fussy baby all night."
Fleur looked at the amount of sexy lingerie she had in her pile and agreed, noting with a smile, "I'm out of money anyway."
Ginny shrugged her shoulders, "I'll have to model one of these for Draco before he gets the Gringotts' report about my sending. He's not going to be happy."
"I didn't think galleons were a problem?"
"He doesn't like over-spending. But when he sees this," Ginny held up a see through teddy, "he'll forget about it."
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Thuban giggled as he twirled around in Draco's large office chair. It had been an outstanding day so far. Grandfather had given him a number of assignments and allowed him to perform them from his dad's office. He felt like a real businessman today. He stopped spinning and went back to sorting the files in front of him. It was almost three o'clock and the little wizard knew that his mother would show up soon to collect Leo. If he still looked very busy, there was a good chance he would be allowed to stay.
He heard voices in the hallway and pressed into the paperwork. He was making a good show if it for when his mother entered. But after a few moments, the voices grew louder. Grandfather sounded very authoritative, a tone he hadn't used with his mother in over a year. Thuban left the chair to listen to the discussion.
"This is an outrage, Gumboil, a forgery. You need proof of wrong doing before you can obtain our business files," Lucius bellowed.
Alastor Gumboil handed Lucius a piece of parchment, "We have proof. Well, at least for one of your organizations. Fanged geranium and hellebore were delivered to Black Hall then sent here. Your company doesn't have the needed seals to use these ingredients in potions."
"They were never delivered here, check our delivery records," Lucius replied.
Thuban opened the door so he could watch the goings on.
Marietta Weasley stepped forward, "We know your records won't show the delivery. Step aside, Mr. Malfoy, we have the required paper work needed to sieze the files for Malfoy Potions Unlimited."
"You," Lucius hissed, "it was you. You created some false documents after you failed to find anything in your illegal search of Black Hall."
She smiled at the wizard, "The papers were sitting in open view on Leo's changing table. I was invited into the room. There was nothing illegal about it."
Thuban jumped out of the office and screamed at his aunt, "You lying, cheating bitch!"
Lucius' and Draco's administrative assistances both gasped at the boy's words. The three Ministry wizards, being in full agreement with the little wizard, did their best not to chuckle. Lucius scooped the boy up and placed him next to Mandy, telling her: "Thuban's mouth is in need of the bar of soap in my lavatory."
The boy stubbornly walked in front of his grandfather, "But Grandfather, she…,"
Lucius glared at his eldest grandson and snarled, "Go with Mandy." Thuban stared at him and didn't move, "Now, Thuban or I will be forced to take my cane to your bottom."
"Is there are problem, Lucius?" Ginny asked as she walked up to the group.
Alastor approached and handed Ginny a parchment. "I'll have to ask you not to go home, Mrs. Malfoy, until one of my agents can accompany you. We will be searching Black Hall."
She scanned the paper quickly. "This is a lie. Lucius Floo our attorneys at once." She turned back to Alastor. "These items were ordered by me for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The supplier mistakenly Owled them to my home and I had them Owled to their Diagon Alley shop. If you check their records you'll see they have the required seals."
In the confusion, Marietta removed a folder from the filing cabinet and placed it inside her robes. After hearing Ginny's explanation, Lucius smirked at the group of Ministry Officials and remarked, "If you look now before verifying Ginerva's statement, your search will be deemed illegal."
The group stepped back and chatted. Alastor stepped forward, "I will remain here while my colleagues verify your story, Mrs. Malfoy. You'll have to remain in the building."
Ginny nodded then turned to Lucius, "What has Thuban done to be threatened with a spanking?"
"He refused to go with Mandy after I instructed her to wash his filthy little mouth out." Lucius turned his attention to the little wizard.
The redhead rolled her eyes. Thuban was old enough to understand when a word was wrong. "How bad was it?"
"A clean mouth will do for now, but I will be discussing it in full with Draco on his return."
Ginny could only imagine the string of words Thuban had used. She took the boy's hand but Alastor Gumboil stopped her. "I'm sorry Mrs. Malfoy, you need to stay in my sight."
"Mandy," Ginny sighed, "please take Thuban."
The little wizard didn't bother looking back at his family. A bar of soap in his mouth was going to be nothing. With all that had happened in the last thirty minutes, his dad wasn't going to be happy when he got home Wednesday night. They had already had their little talk about cursing and he knew what was in store for him once Draco heard what he had said.
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Marietta looked down at the file in front of her and grinned. Ginny's story had been true and they were not allowed to search the Malfoy Offices or Draco's study. But the information inside this little file had given her a wonderful idea. Draco had his potions company creating Pariopuer potion and Pariopuella potion. The records showed he was having it done outside of England and there was no sign of it being imported. However, Marietta knew her sister-in-law. She could use this information to cause a row between the couple. If Ginny was angry enough at Draco, she might reveal some of his secret business dealing.
She smiled evilly as Rita Skeeter sat down across from her at the table in the Muggle pub and pushed the file toward the reporter. "You'll find this very interesting," Marietta said.
Marietta Weasley walked out of the pub, took a taxi to Kings Cross, went into a restroom and Disapparated. When she appeared on her back porch, she touched her wand to her face removing her disguise.
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Author's notes: In latin, pario means: to bear, bring forth, produce; create, make, get. Puella means: little girl. Puer means: boy.